Episode discussion post: "Echo"

[jae]

Aired:
21 May 2014 in the U.S. and Canada
25 May 2014 in Israel
7 June 2014 in the UK

This is a discussion post for episode 213 of The Americans, intended for viewers who are watching the show on the U.S./Canadian schedule. (Feel free to dive in to the discussion even if you're coming in late--and you should also feel free to start a new thread if it seems too daunting to read through what's already been posted first. If you're reading this at a point where you've already seen subsequent episodes, though, please take care to keep comments spoiler-free of anything that comes after season two, episode thirteen.)

Original promo trailer

"The Americans Season 2 Episode 13 Promo - Echo [HD] The Americans 2x13 Promo" (Watch on YouTube)

Episode recaps

From Grantland
From Time
From the Washington Post
From Rolling Stone
From the AV Club
From Hitfix
From IGN
From the Huffington Post: Karen Fratti, Maureen Ryan
From Vulture
From Variety
From the Tampa Bay Times
From Sound on Sight
From Collider
From Paste Magazine
From Gawker
From the Cloture Club
From tv.com
From tvrage.com
From Headline Planet
From spoilertv.com (in French)
From TV Ate My Wardrobe
From GAMbIT Magazine
From showratings.tv
From Comments Enabled
From Boob Tube Dude
From Unreality Primetime (UK)

Comments

Re: Could the second-generation illegals programme really happen (reprise)?

[katiac]

I would think it would be that much more damaging for Jared to find out the truth from Kate rather than his parents, and then have that lie staring him in the face every time he went home and be unable to act to let out his anger about it. (My understanding was that E/L didn't realize he knew the truth or was being recruited against their wishes until the hotel room--was that how everyone else took it?) It would distance him from them and heighten his sense of having no voice versus a scenario where they told him, where he might be really pissed for awhile, but would probably get through it differently.

Re: Could the second-generation illegals programme really happen (reprise)?

[sistermagpie]

Oh, absolutely. To me--and I think to the Jennings--the bigger issue is making her a spy rather than telling her the truth, even though that's a big deal. But what seemed strange about Claudia is that she said they just had to do it "soon" and then "start preparing her" as if telling her was just ripping off the band aid. Which in a sense it is, but it's also the most explosive.

I thought that too in the podcasts where the showrunners made the point that if P said "see what happened when they told Jared" E would rightly say "see what happened when his parents didn't tell him." I agree--and I think Philip would have to agree as well--that if anybody is going to tell her it has to be them. But it's still not something I can think of as just the first step in recruitment. It might end that.

I agree, btw, that it seems like this all came out in the hotel room. Before that Emmett and Leanne didn't know their cover was blown.

Re: Could the second-generation illegals programme really happen (reprise)?

[jae]

But it's still not something I can think of as just the first step in recruitment. It might end that.

Absolutely. Telling her could conceivably reveal that recruitment isn't possible. (That's not likely to happen on the show given that that wouldn't make for very good long-term dramatic storytelling, but it's easy to imagine.)

-J